POTHOLES have left a black hole in the finances of councils as the freezing weather takes its toll on the roads.

Highways departments across the region face of total bill that’s anticipated could top £1m as the adverse weather rips holes in the road network.

Gwynedd council alone says the freeze-thaw cycle has left a repair bill of £250,000 as pot holes increase, while Wrexham has so far earmarked £100,000 in additional highways costs with further inspections underway.

Anglesey council has spent £200,000 on winter maintenance after finding roads seriously damaged by the recent freezing weather, when the region’s temperatures fell to minus six.

Conwy, Flintshire and Denbighshire councils said they were also dealing with an increased number of potholes but were still investigating what the total extra cost would be.

With temperatures again plummeting the bill could be set to rise further.

The Welsh Assembly Government today announces a major funding package to support councils with £2.75m to help them tackle the weather beaten roads.

Gwyn Morris Jones, Gwynedd Council head of highways and municipal, said: “The repeated freeze-thaw cycle of the recent cold spell resulted in an increase of pot-holes in Gwynedd roads.

“The council is currently assessing the situation and carrying out condition and safety inspections of the county’s highway network. At present, preliminary estimates suggest that the cost of remedial work will be approximately £250,000.” He added: “We believe that the Assembly Government’s announcement of funding to tackle this problem throughout Wales will be of significant help to fund this work in Gwynedd.”

Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones formally announced the extra funding for local authorities.

He says the money will help councils tackle the pot holes left by the recent snow storms and heavy rain: “This extra money will help local authorities address the problems caused by the recent unforeseen weather conditions.

“It will allow them to tackle the potholes left by the recent adverse weather, and to continue the progress they have made to date maintaining the road network.”

He added the money will now also help allow quick treatment of the potholes, which if left untreated can have implications for the road network and lead to more widespread structural failure of the road.

The new grant package is additional to the £5m Local Road Maintenance Grant (LMRG), the Minister for the Economy and Transport has already allocated for 2010/11.

Wrexham have allocated an initial £100,000 for additional repairs following the adverse conditions. Further assessments were now being carried out by council officers and temporary repairs had already started.

An Anglesey County Council spokesman confirmed that some roads had been seriously damaged by the recent bad weather and that, to date, the authority had been spent around £200,000 on winter maintenance.

Dave Faulkner, head of Highways and Transportation at Flintshire, said: “At this stage it is too early to tell the full extent and cost of the damage. However we have increased resources to deal with pot holes as soon as possible.”

Stuart Davies, head of Highways and Infrastructure, said: “As expected, the recent severe weather has damaged Conwy’s road surfaces. We’re dealing with pot holes as we find them during inspections, or following reports from members of the public.

“It’s too early to put a figure on the financial impact, particularly as the winter season hasn’t finished yet, but we will be monitoring the costs closely.”

A spokeswoman for Denbighshire council said: "Because of the freezing weather, there has been a significant deterioration in road surface quality with many new potholes and areas where road surface has been damaged badly by the ice and snow.

“Highways staff are undertaking extensive patch repair work at the moment and the detailed analysis of road conditions will be carried out as soon as possible."